Weizhao Zhang is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He took a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Tsinghua University in 2014 and a PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University in 2019. His research focuses on advanced manufacturing and numerical modelling, particularly for composite materials, including analysis of how carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic parts take shape in large-volume applications. During his research he worked with academic and industrial partners including the Ford Motor Company and Dow Chemical to develop computational material tools for systematically analysing the manufacture of CFRP parts. The material model he developed has been implemented in the commercial LS-DYNA software by Livermore Software Technology Corporation, taking the method from research into an industrial simulation tool.
Zhang turns composite forming from rule of thumb into computation: the material model developed with carmakers and chemical companies ended up inside commercial LS-DYNA, an example of academic work landing directly in industry.
Achievements
- 2014 · Completed a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Tsinghua University.
- 2019 · Completed a PhD in mechanical engineering at Northwestern University.
- 2021 · His material model was implemented in the commercial LS-DYNA software.